Brandwave

Playwright vs Selenium:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Playwright had more branded searches than Selenium among browser testing platforms worldwide. Playwright had about 49,100 branded searches, while Selenium had 39,800. Playwright made up 12.4% of all browser testing platform searches we track, and Selenium accounted for 10%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about browser testing platforms, both Playwright and Selenium appeared in all five answers. Playwright was mentioned before Selenium in four out of five answers.

Among browser testing platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Playwright, about 23% more searches than Selenium

Playwright 49.1K searchesSelenium 39.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Playwright in 5 of 5Selenium in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Playwright, named ahead of Selenium in 4 of 5 answers

Playwright first in 4Selenium first in 1

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Top browser testing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Playwright and Selenium showed up in all five answers. Playwright was listed before Selenium in four of them.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. BrowserStack1st
  2. Playwright2nd
  3. Cypress3rd
  4. TestMu AI4th
  5. Selenium5th
  6. Sauce Labs6th
  7. TestingBot7th
  8. HeadSpin–
  9. Kobiton–
  10. TestGrid–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • BrowserStack5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Playwright5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • TestMu AI5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Selenium5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cypress5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sauce Labs4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • TestingBot1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • HeadSpin0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kobiton0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • TestGrid0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about browser testing platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Playwright or Selenium more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Playwright and Selenium by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 browser testing platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Playwright and Selenium among browser testing platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Playwright, Selenium. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBrowserStackPlaywrightSauce LabsTestMu AISeleniumHeadSpinCypressKobitonTestGridTestingBotPerfecto
Oct 202541.5%10.5%6.8%10.3%21.3%3.7%3%0.73%1.1%0.4%0.6%
Nov 202544.2%11.4%4.8%11%19.5%4%2.7%0.64%1.2%0.35%0.28%
Dec 202546.9%11.2%5.1%11.7%17%3.4%2.3%0.68%1%0.37%0.29%
Jan 202643.7%13%4.8%13.8%15.8%3.9%2.6%0.63%1.2%0.34%0.22%
Feb 202654.3%10.2%6%10.4%12.1%2.7%1.8%0.97%0.97%0.29%0.23%
Mar 202653.2%10.6%4.8%10.3%13.6%3.2%1.8%0.78%1.2%0.41%0.19%
Apr 202651.5%12.5%4.6%10.5%13.1%3.1%2%0.74%1.4%0.33%0.22%
May 202653.3%11.7%5.9%10.5%11.7%3.2%1.6%0.77%0.95%0.26%0.22%
Jun 202646.6%14.2%7.6%10.2%13.8%3.4%1.9%0.82%1%0.28%0.21%
Jul 202654.5%11.9%4.9%10.3%10.6%3.3%1.7%0.78%1.5%0.27%0.22%
Aug 202650.2%12%10.1%10%11.4%3%1.2%0.9%0.72%0.25%0.21%
Sep 202650.8%12.4%10.2%10.1%10%3.1%1.1%0.91%0.73%0.4%0.18%

How has the Playwright and Selenium comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Playwright took it in May 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Playwright’s share of searches among browser testing platforms worldwide moved from 10.5% to 12.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 41.7K to 49.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Selenium’s share of searches among browser testing platforms worldwide moved from 21.3% to 10%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 85.1K to 39.8K.

How did search popularity change for browser testing platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Selenium lost share of searches among browser testing platforms worldwide, from 11.4% to 10%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Playwright worldwide rose 17.7% over 12 measured months, from 41.7K to 49.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

8 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Playwright’s and Selenium’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Playwright

3 branded search terms

  • playwright automation
  • playwright python
  • playwright test

Selenium

5 branded search terms

  • selenium automation
  • selenium ide
  • selenium python
  • selenium testing
  • selenium webdriver

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among browser testing platforms

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